Throwing Muses is known for performing music with shifting tempos, creative chord progressions, unorthodox song structures, and surreal lyrics. The group was set apart from other contemporary acts by Hersh's stark, candid writing style; Donelly's pop stylings and vocal harmonies; and David Narcizo's unusual drumming techniques eschewing use of cymbals. Hallucinatory, febrile songs by Hersh occasionally touched on the subject of mental illness, more often drawing portraits of characters from daily life or addressing relationships.
Donelly left the band in 1991 and was a member of The Breeders and Belly, before starting to perform solo. She also contributed vocals to the Throwing Muses self-titled album in 2003. Hersh has also worked solo, and fronts the power trio 50 Foot Wave (which also includes Muses bassist Bernard Georges). Narcizo works in graphic design and has a musical project Lakuna.
In March 2003, Throwing Muses came back with their eighth album, Throwing Muses, which also saw the return of Tanya Donelly who provided backing vocals on the album. A greatest hits compilation titled Anthology was released in 2011. The band's ninth album, Purgatory / Paradise was released on October 29, 2013 in the UK and November 11 in the US. In early 2014, the band toured a few U.S. cities, with Donelly opening for the East Coast dates.
Walking in the Dark
Throwing Muses Lyrics
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You own a question
It's a body
You can make me cry
You have a right
I can see you live
I can't forget you die
It's a garden
You can
You can
Can where'd you go
Where'd you
Boxing writhing twist and burrow
Walking in the dark
A hunter
Runner
Walking
Picking up the sticks
I had a dream
I had a dream
Rub the peers away
They don't invade me
I just turned 35
A round bottomed beaker
I could glow
I could glow and swell
I could glow
Turn black
Turn back
Ride and forget
My ghost of seasons past
Asked this bedroom what to say
I said stay I have to sleep
Tangled in my families hair
Build a house of sticks and grow
The grass and build a mask
Pull the grapes
Turn black
Turn back
I can't say it till you grow a face
Walking in the dark
The lyrics to Throwing Muses's "Walking in the Dark" are a labyrinth of introspection, imagery and metaphor. The first couple of lines, "I can't forgive a dream / You own a question" may refer to a psychological dream rather than a night dream. The singer here, speaking to someone else, is troubled by the way someone else owns a question that they cannot answer, perhaps hinting at some form of emotional distance between them. The line, "It's a body / You can make me cry" suggests the connections between the mind and the body; emotions manifest in the body and the singer is expressing this through tears. The second stanza repeats the same phrase, "You own a question," this time followed by the words, "It's a garden / You can / You can / Can where'd you go." This may mean that the question is like a garden that the person is tending to, but then disappears without a trace.
The chorus shifts focus to a different image, that of someone walking in the dark, boxing, writhing, twist, and burrowing. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for life's struggles, with the "hunter" and "runner" representing the different ways people deal with adversity. The next few lines are slightly more straightforward, with the singer stating they had a dream, and they are attempting to "rub the peers away" (perhaps a reference to insecurities and self-doubt). They then mention their age of 35 and an image of a "round bottomed beaker" that "could glow" and "swell," possibly as a metaphor for growth and potential.
The final stanza returns to the metaphor of the garden, with the singer imagining themselves building a house of sticks, growing grass and a mask, and pulling grapes. The lines, "Turn back / Turn black" may suggest that the singer is reflecting on their past mistakes and regrets. The last line, "I can't say it till you grow a face," may imply that the person the singer is addressing is not yet ready to fully confront the issues between them.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't forgive a dream
I cannot forget a dream that is haunting me
You own a question
You have a question that I cannot answer
It's a body
It's a physical sensation that I cannot escape
You can make me cry
Your actions have a profound effect on me, causing me to weep
You have a right
You have the authority to make certain decisions
I can see you live
I can observe that you are alive
I can't forget you die
I cannot forget the inevitability of your death
You own a question
You still have a question that I cannot answer
It's a garden
It's a complex and intricate space, like a garden
You can
You have the ability or potential to do something
You can
You have the ability or potential to do something
Can where'd you go
Can you tell me where you went?
Where'd you
Where did you go?
Boxing writhing twist and burrow
The movements are chaotic and difficult to track
Walking in the dark
Moving forward with uncertainty or without clarity
A hunter
Someone or something that is seeking or pursuing
Runner
Someone or something that is fleeing or retreating
Walking
Moving forward even without total certainty
Picking up the sticks
Collecting small bits of information or clues
I had a dream
I experienced a vivid and possibly unsettling dream
I had a dream
I experienced a vivid and possibly unsettling dream
Rub the peers away
Try to remove negative thoughts or images from my consciousness
They don't invade me
I cannot let my thoughts be overtaken by negativity
I just turned 35
I recently celebrated my 35th birthday
A round bottomed beaker
A glass container with a somewhat curvaceous shape
I could glow
I could emit light or give the impression of radiance
I could glow and swell
I could appear bright and full of life
I could glow
I could emit light or give the impression of radiance
Turn black
Becoming dark and/or hopeless
Turn back
Retreat from a place or an action
Ride and forget
Move forward and try to avoid lingering on the past
My ghost of seasons past
The memories of the past that continue to haunt me
Asked this bedroom what to say
I sat in my room and tried to gather my thoughts
I said stay I have to sleep
I told someone or something to stay in my room while I tried to get some rest
Tangled in my families hair
Feeling confused and overwhelmed in the midst of familial ties and obligations
Build a house of sticks and grow
Start from scratch and create a sturdy foundation that will lead to growth
The grass and build a mask
Try to conceal my true feelings and emotions
Pull the grapes
Take control of a situation or emotion
Turn black
Become dark, ominous, or hopeless
Turn back
Retreat from a place or an action
I can't say it till you grow a face
I cannot communicate what I need to until you can listen, understand, and respond
Walking in the dark
Moving forward with uncertainty or without clarity
Lyrics © HEYDAY MEDIA GROUP LLC
Written by: Kristin Hersh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind